The best thing I did this summer
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It’s all about kids today
Working at a new camp this summer, I’ve had a ton of “first” conversations. Meeting parents for the first time. Meeting staff. Meeting families coming on tours, looking for a new camp home.
For me, it’s been weeks and weeks of these first conversations. You know the kind.
In a lot of ways, summer camp is all about conversation. There’s a lot (a lot!) of talking that goes into this job. I love it.
But I’ve noticed something in these conversations, something that’s only reinforced what I strongly suspected going into this summer. Something that’s frankly transformed the way I think about camp “marketing” and getting people excited about summer camp (my #1 life goal).
While it might be the first conversation I’m having with these folks, it’s often not the first conversation they’re having with me.
For them, it’s more like our second, third, fourth (you get it) time we’ve talked.
Because they’ve been getting to “know” me for weeks via their inbox.
And TBH at first I didn’t think the emails would really work. Who wants one more email? But that’s shifted completely.
When trust comes pre-built
A dad called last week: “Jack I know you have our same ideas because of the emails…” and then he went into some stuff he was thinking about raising his son, stuff I knew we aligned on.
No warm-up. Just jumped straight into the real convo because we’d been sending out weekly emails to the K&E community for months.
Another parent during a tour (I kid you not here): “I already know you’re going to handle this great because I’ve read what you’ve written.”
A referral agent from Spain: “I love your perspective. Can we talk about sending some families your way?”
These aren’t one-offs. This is happening constantly now.
Last summer, camp had 9 family tours total.
This summer? We’re looking at 20+, and almost every single one came through a referral agent who I just politely asked, “Hey, can I put you on our email list?”
I am not saying the emails are the only reason, but they haven’t hurt, and they keep getting mentioned as part of the signal.
The emails are sitting at 50-60% open rates across thousands of people. Not because they contain urgent logistics or payment reminders. They don’t contain a single piece of that stuff.
They work because they’re not informational bulletins. They’re perspective.
Quick break: I’m pumped to be using CampMinder this summer.
The Campanion app rocks and parents love it (might be their favorite thing).
Getting to see your kids while they are at camp is everything.
Thanks to CampMinder for making that possible.
Check out CampMinder and tell them Jack sent you over
What these messages are
Here’s what I’m NOT sending to this list:
Packing lists
Drop-off logistics
Activity schedules
Payment reminders
Behavior policies
Menu updates
Health forms
We send all that stuff out through (our friends!) CampMinder. It’s important and necessary, but it’s not what builds relationships.
What we ARE sending are weekly stories about camp philosophy, child development insights, behind-the-scenes thinking, and honest reflections on what we’re learning.
The kind of stuff that helps parents understand not just what we do, but why we do it. How we think about kids. What we value. Who we are as people, not just as a program.
Making everything easier
When you’ve built trust through story over time, everything else gets easier.
Tough conversations become collaborative problem-solving instead of defensive explanations. Parents approach challenges with confidence in your judgment rather than anxiety about your competence.
Referral agents and current parents understand your camp’s actual vibe, not just your marketing claims. They can filter for families who’ll be the right fit, and they have language to explain why.
Oh, and staff read these emails, too. Yes, I’m being serious. A bunch showed up and said they’d been reading leading into the summer. Were they kissing butt a little? Maybe. But they were reading.
Same list. Same messages. But with a consistency that bought confidence and grace from a few separate groups.
I don’t think anything else would have had the same impact short of me recording weekly videos (which might not be a bad idea if I’m thinking out loud here).
The new table stakes?
Look, every camp is trying to build trust with families. Every director wants parents who feel confident in their choice.
But many camps are trying to do this solely through polished marketing materials and perfectly orchestrated tours.
That might be enough. But there’s so much more happening here.
There will be families wanting to know who you are as a person before they trust you with their kids. They want to understand your philosophy before they buy your program.
Newsletters helping you build trust at scale, basically for free.
I’m going to get direct here, not out of pressure, but because I 100% believe this:
If you are the kind of person who reads a weekly newsletter about summer camping, then you are the kind of person who likely cares deeply about summer camping.
And if you care deeply about summer camping, then you have thoughts and stories about summer camping.
And if you have thoughts and stories about summer camping, then you should be sending them out to the world.
Start Simple
We’ve been through this before, but honestly, I’m prepared to be a broken record with this.
Use separate channels. Send logistics through your camp management software. Send perspective through email marketing tools (I use Kit).
Don’t overthink the content. Share your honest thoughts about working with kids. Tell stories about what you’re learning. Be vulnerable about the challenges and excited about the wins.
Be self-deprecating if you need to be. Throw in a “Go Bills!” every once in a while. Find some cool stories and figure out why they connect to your mission.
Make it predictable in rhythm but never formulaic in tone.
Most importantly, give families a reason to look forward to hearing from you, not just a reason to need your information.
When a parent say,s “I feel like I already know you” before you’ve ever met, you’ve done a ton of upfront work.
That’s the power of the inbox.
You got this,
Jack
PS - Doug and I are putting together a small but focused group of camp pros and directors who want to roll with this approach.
It’s going to be a 6-week writing program and will include everything we’re doing to nail down this approach.
If you’re interested in learning how to build these relationships through weekly storytelling, hit reply with “Cohort!” and let me know.
We’ll start in the fall.
Get my newsletter every week.
It’s all about kids today
Jack Schott
Summer Camp Evangelist